Congestive heart disease

Congestive heart disease affects about five million Americans, and several medical professionals believe that within five years time about half of those people will unfortunately die from their state.  Congestive heart disease is marked by the heart’s inability to pump efficiently enough to supply the body with freshly oxygenated blood.  It is the leading cause of hospitalization among senior citizens and accounted for nearly 20% of the hospitalization of this age group in 2003.

Since congestive heart disease is a state that warrants consideration, a brief conversation of several of the risk factors might be in order.  While several of these factors cannot be helped, there are many things a person can adjust about their lives to decrease the risk.

Risk Factors That Cannot be Helped

There are a number of risk factors for congestive heart disease that simply can’t be helped.  One such factor is a prior heart attack, and progressed age, specifically over the age of 65, is another common factor for this state.Also, there is another important one too and it is a history of diabetes.Congestive heart disease might be a state to watch out for although it is very treatable these days you must understand that the progression of the disease is not reversable, If you have one of these medical conditions and you catch it early it is very treatable.

Another risk factor that cannot be changed when dealing with congestive heart disease is having a genetic disposition to the disease.  Genetic testing and knowledge of the complete family history can go a long way in indicating whether or not congestive heart disease is something that should be a concern for you.

Risk Factors that Can Be Changed

While some factors that signify the potential for congestive heart disease cannot be helped, there are a number that can.  These factors consist of such things as continuing high blood pressure, drug or alcohol abuse, thyroid disease, and even heart valve disease.  All these risk factors, especially drug and alcohol abuse can be managed with help from your medical professional or friendly neighborhood physician.    The best course of action is talk to your doctor to design a plan to attack congestive heart disease and hopefully stop it from touching your life.

Unfortunately, congestive heart disease is hard to diagnose because it frequently occurs as a result of or in conjunction with other forms of heart disease.  Perhaps the best hope for patients with this disease is to catch it early and begin treatment as soon as possible.